Loucas Papantoniou
Before discovering design, Loucas studied Process Engineering and Management for five years on the Greek island of Crete. “I come from an engineering family and it was a natural choice. Engineering gave me the quantitative and analytical skills that helped me to decide what to do later on.” So far, ‘later on’ has included designing an award-winning solar lamp in Cambodia, launching an online platform for runners in the Netherlands, and now HCD at Namahn. Meanwhile, Loucas is plotting the redesign of his beleaguered homeland.
How did an engineer get hooked on design?
Process engineering is mostly about minimising product costs and maximising efficiency. Design adds a human dimension I realised was missing for me. It inspired me to leave Greece and follow an MA in Strategic Product Design at Delft University of Technology, the largest industrial design faculty in the world. This was a wise decision. The experience was intensive: great projects in an international environment
Is this where you designed a solar lamp?
During the third semester, we were set the task of designing a product as a team of four students from different disciplines (interactive, strategic and product design). Our project had to make real sense. I discovered Kamworks, a social enterprise based in Cambodia, which is bringing sustainable solar lighting solutions to off-grid rural communities. Our challenge was to design an affordable solar lamp to replace the kerosene lamps and car batteries commonly used to power normal lamps for a few hours of light. Each day, children have to carry these batteries to recharging points risking leakage of toxic acid on their clothes and bodies. Not to mention the respiration issues associated with the use of kerosene lamps. We lived and worked in Cambodia for three months, experienced the darkness and designed a lamp. It won two awards in the Netherlands and Portugal. But the greatest reward is that it is now in production and being used in Cambodia!
How did you follow up this success?
When I graduated, the financial crisis hit. It was hard to find jobs in design agencies, so I began running to avoid becoming depressed. This led me to a job at ASICS, the running shoe designers, where I worked on an online platform for runners. My role was facilitating between developers in Japan and product managers based in Europe, and finalising the platform for introduction to Europe. After three months, the project was complete and it was time to move on.
Did this lead you to Namahn?
My next job was at Usabilla, a startup based in Amsterdam that has developed software to gather and visualise user feedback (a sort of ‘heat map’) from websites to optimise their design and usability. It was exciting to be one of the first people to work there, but after six months in a role that was more marketing than design, I was looking again for an agency focusing on HCD and a friend directed me to Namahn. I had another job offer in Spain, but I chose Namahn. Another wise decision! The Namahn culture and working environment make it a great place to grow and become a good designer.
Are you still running?
I am training for various marathons and I’ve also started climbing, something I discovered in the Netherlands (why did I come to the flattest country in Europe to learn this?). I also love sailing, but it’s too cold to sail in North Sea! Sailing in Greece is wonderful, even in the rain. However, my dream is to sail around the world, so I’ll have to get used to colder climates to achieve that
And what about your plans to redesign Greece?
I feel like Peter Pan: Greece is my Neverland, the place where all my memories are, the people I love, but it is not possible to live or work there right now. Sadly, Greece is suffering a brain drain. But my friends and I have a project called ‘Redesigning Greece’. Only by using our creativity will we come out of the current crisis. Who knows, maybe I will go back one day and start my own version of Namahn.
